The Arms of France

The Kingdom of France

The arms of France, since the late 12th century, have been Azure,
a semis of fleurs-de-lis or, changed in 1376 to Azure, three fleurs-de-lis
or. The medieval crown was open with fleurs-de-lys. The supporters,
since about 1423 were two angels (prior to that royal seals show the arms
of France surrounded by the emblems of the Evangelists). In the 16th c.
the angels are shown each wearing a tabard and holding a banner with the
arms of France (and later Navarre). A 1515 frontispice to the translation
of Robert Gaguin's Chroniques de France shows a closed crown (hitherto
only the Emperor used a closed crown), and the shield is supported by Saint
Denis (in whose abbey the kings of France were buried) and Saint Remi (bishop
of Reims, who baptized Clovis).

It is occasionally said that the basis for adopting a closed (imperial)
crown by the king of France was the cession by Andreas Paleologue (1453-1502,
nephew of the last emperor Constantine XI)
of his rights to the Byzantine empire to Charles VIII, on
11 Sept. 1494 (see Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions,
vol. 17, p. 572; in October 1740 it was reported that the pope had given
to the French ambassador to the Holy See the original of the cession,
accepted in the name of Charles VIII by the cardinal of Corfu [Courrier d'Avignon,
15 Nov 1740).

Arms of France, by Michel Dorigny, mid-17th c.
A baroque variation on the theme of angels as supporters.
(Source: Ministère de la Culture,
base de données Joconde.)

In 1469 Louis XI created the Order of Saint-Michel, and after that date
the royal arms are usually shown encircled with the collar of that order.
That order soon became devalued because it was awarded too easily. In 1578
Henri III created the Ordre du Saint-Esprit with a limit of 100 knights.
The two orders were together known as the ordres du Roi and always
encircled the royal arms.

In the grand version, the shield is usually placed beneath a pavilion
armoyé, with a royal crown on an open helmet on the shield and another
crown on the pavilion. The cri above is Montjoye Saint-Denis
(Saint-Denis was the abbey where the oriflamme
was kept) and the motto below is lilia neque nent neque laborant
(the lillies neither spin nor work, a quote from Luke 12:27). The medieval
crest was a fleur-de-lys, but it was not used after the 16th century.

Arms of Louis XV, from Diderot's Encyclopédie (ca. 1760).
.

In 1589, when Henri, king of Navarre, ascended the throne as Henri IV
of France, the arms of French kings became per pale France and Navarre,
which is Gules, a cross, saltire, (double) orle of chains, all linked,
or. (Note that, from 1316 to 1328, the two kingdoms were also united:
French royal seals of that time show on the reverse the escutcheon of France
laid over the chains of Navarre). These arms were in use until 1789, and
again from 1814 to 1830.

There are some variations in the way France and Navarre were combined.
French coins in the 17th century always display the arms of France only,
except those struck in Navarre itself; in the 18th century, a silver coin,
the
écu de Navarre of 1718-19 (struck nationwide, in spite of its name)
has Quarterly France and Navarre.
Most gold coins show the two shields side by side.

Reverse of a Louis d'or, 1786, showing the arms of Louis XVI.

Reverse of a 5-franc piece, 1821, showing the arms of Louis XVIII.

The standard regalia of the French king were the crown (open until François Ier, closed
afterwards), the scepter and the hand of justice. All three elements appear in the
earliest seated figures of kings on the royal seals (11th century). They are visibly
displayed in the famous portrait of Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud.

François I (1515-47): salamander in its flames. He adopted this
badge early in life before coming to the throne, and it seems to have been
the family badge of the Orléans-Angoulême. Motto: nutrisco
et extingo (I eat it and I put it out), referring to the medieval legend
of salamanders living in fire.

Henri III (1574-89): three crowns, two or and the third of palms. Motto:
manet ultima coelo donec totum compleat orbem (the third remains
in heaven before it fills up the world). Henri III was king of Poland as
well as France.

Henri IV (1589-1610): two scepters and a sword. Motto: duo praetendit
unus (the one protects the two). He was king of France and Navarre.

Louis XIII (1610-43): a scale. Allusion to his astrological sign and
his name Louis le Juste.

After the Revolution

In February 1790 the title of Louis XVI was changed from Roi de France
et de Navarre to Roi des Français. The arms became simply
the fleurs-de-lis or on a field azure, and remained in use until 1792 (in
spite of the abolition of coats of arms and heraldry in 1790).

First (1804-14) and Second (1851-70) Empires

In 1804, Napoleon became emperor and (on July 20) adopted as arms Azure,
an Imperial eagle or, wings inverted, guardant sinister, holding a thunderbolt
in its claws on a round shield. The shield is surrounded by the Legion
of Honor, with the scepter and hand of justice in saltire behind it, and
an ermine-lined mantle azure with a semis of bees or around it. The crown
is made of eagles as well. I do not know of a motto.

Arms of the First Empire.

Curiously, Napoleon long hesitated in his choice of emblem. After a
debate with his advisers in June 1804, he chose a lion, but modified it
at the last minute to an eagle. The eagle was reminiscent of Rome and Charlemagne,
and strongly associated with empire, but ran the risk of confusion with
the German imperial eagle, which is why a different style was adopted for
the French imperial eagle. The choice of colors was not uncertain, however,
since azure and or were associated with France. (See Alain Boureau: L'aigle
: chronique politique d'un emblème. Paris : Éditions
du Cerf, 1985.)

The bee was a favorite decorative theme, and the semy of bees used in
Napoleonic heraldry, but it was not part of
the official emblems. The bees were a metaphor for a Republic of equals
under a single leader. It is also thought that the bee stems from
ornaments found in great numbers in 1653 in the tomb of the Merovingian
king Chilperic in Tournai. As decorative
and heraldic elements, the bees (or on a field gules) served the same purpose
as the royal fleurs-de-lys: e.g., on a chief for imperial princes, or as
decoration on the staff of a maréchal d'Empire.

Napoleon III used the same arms as his uncle from 1852 to 1870.

Reverse of a 20F "napoléon", 1866.

Arms on a chimney, castle of Pierrefonds, France.

Restoration (1814-30) and Monarchy of July (1830-48)

The Bourbons resumed the arms and style of kings of France and Navarre
upon their return in 1814: the first official act of Louis XVIII in France,
the declaration of Saint-Ouen, begins with the traditional style "Louis,
par la grâce de Dieu roi de France et de Navarre."
The shield of Navarre is often but not always omitted.

Arms of France, 1814-30.

In 1830, when Louis-Philippe became king
of the French, he used the arms of Orléans (France differenced with
a label argent) under a royal crown. The ordinance of Aug. 13, 1830 reads:
Les anciens sceaux de l'Etat sont supprimés.; A l'avenir, le sceau
de l'Etat représentera les armes d'Orléans surmontées
de la couronne fermé, avec le sceptre et la main de justice en sautoir,
et des drapeaux tricolores derrière l'écusson, et
pour exergue, "Louis-Philippe Ier, Roi des Français".
(Henceforth the seal of the State shall show the arms of Orleans surmounted with a closed
crown, with the scepter and hand of justice in saltire and three-colored
flags behind the shield, and the legend: Louis-Philippe I, king of the French").

Arms of France, 1830-31.

On Feb. 26, 1831, the arms were changed. The Ordonnance of that date reads:
A l'avenir, le sceau de l'Etat représentera un livre ouvert
portant à l'intérieur ces mots "Charte de 1830", surmonté
d'une couronne fermée, avec le sceptre et la main de justice en
sautoir, et des drapeaux tricolores derrière l'écusson, et pour
exergue "Louis-Philippe Ier, Roi des Français".
That is, an open book with the words "Charter of 1830", (the shield)
surmounted by a closed crown; behind the shield, in saltire, were the scepter
and hand of justice, as well as tricolor flags. Usually, the crown is depicted
with leaves instead of fleurs-de-lis and the fleur-de-lis on the
scepter is replaced by an orb. These arms were in use until Louis-Philippe's
overthrow in 1848.

Arms of France, 1831-48. From the facade of the palais de justice, Poitiers.Arms of France, 1831-48, as they appear at the top of a frame
surrounding a portrait of Louis-Philippe, workshop of Winterhalter.
The portrait and frame were sent in 1848 to king Kamehameha III of Hawai
and have stayed there since. (Source: Collection of the State of Hawai, The Friends of Iolani Palace. See more information).

Arms of France, 1831-48. Dictionnaire encyclopédique Larousse, 1898.
This depiction shows that the semy of
fleurs-de-lys on the mantle is replaced by stars. The supporter at dexter may
be Liberty, the supporter at sinister is a rooster. Neither seems to be
official. Artistically, this achievement is not a success.

In 1989, a ruling by the Court of Appeals of Paris stated that the arms
Azure three fleurs-de-lys or were private arms, not arms of dominion,
since 1830; and that no one could dispute the right to bear those arms
to Don Luis-Alfonso de Borbon, duke of Anjou and present head of the house
of Bourbon.

The Republic

The Seal of the French Republic is not armorial. In its present form, it
dates from 1848. Liberty is seated, crowned with laurel and rays of light around her
head, holding a fasces with her right hand and a helm with the left hand. On the rudder,
the rooster holds a globe. In front of her an urn with the letters SU recalls universal
suffrage (introduced permanently in 1848 for men, in 1944 for women). Behind her, various
objects symbolizing the resources and strengths of the Republic: an oak branch,
a wheat garb, a plough, a lamp, a capital, a blueprint, an artist's palette. See
an official description
in French.

Seal of the French Republic (in use since 1871).

"Arms" of the French Republic, as shown in the Larousse Encyclopédie
(1898 ed.).

In 1905, during a visit of the king of Spain to France, an informal
coat of arms for the French Republic was devised: Azure, a fasces on
a laurel branch and an oak branch per saltire, bound by a scroll inscribed
with the words "liberté égalité fraternité",
all or. The phrase (liberty, equality, fraternity) is the motto of
the French Republic and dates from the Revolution. The shield is surrounded
by the collar of the Legion of Honor. These arms came into semi-official
use over time, in particular in embassies (Hervé Pinoteau [3e colloque
international d'héraldique, 1983], citing Ottfried Neubecker, mentions
a memorandum of the ministry of Foreign Affairs to the German embassy specifying
those arms in 1929). This design was adopted for official use on June 3, 1953,
when it was chosen to represent the French Republic at the United Nations.
But, although it can be described with a blazon, one can question to what
extent it represents the coat of arms of the French Republic.

Arms of French Presidents

French Presidents have used personal standards since the 2nd Republic (1848-51),
which usually consists of a square-shaped tricolor flag whose white field is
charged with a design. Under the 3d and 4th Republics (1875-1940, 1946-58)
the design was the initials of the president. Under the 5th Republic, each
president has used a particular design: the Lorraine (or patriarcal) cross
gules for de Gaulle, the initials for Georges Pompidou, the fasces for
Giscard d'Estaing, a tree part-oak part-olive for Mitterrand (see also
the Flags of the World web-site).

Several French presidents have had to adopt arms on the occasion of their
induction into the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden) or the Order of the
Danebrog (Denmark). De Gaulle's arms were the French tricolor with the
patriarcal cross gules, as was his standard. Giscard d'Estaing's arms
were Azure, a fasces between two olive branches or. Mitterrand's arms
were Azure a tree or, oak at dexter and olive at sinister. These arms
thus simply incorporated the personal emblem chosen by the president.
(Source: Hervé Pinoteau's latest book on the French national arms
Le chaos français et ses signes : étude sur la symbolique de l'Etat français depuis la Révolution de 1789, La Roche-Rigault, 1998).

This has nothing to do with heraldry, but since I have the information,
here it is.

Before 1789

The French monarchy did not have an anthem. (The English anthem
only came into use in the mid-18th c.).

There was no anthem in the modern sense, but there was a responsory (versicle
said by the officiating priest and response by the congregation) said or sung
in Catholic churches, called the "domine fac salvum". The text comes from
Psalms 19:10 in the Vulgate:
"Domine salvum fac regem et exaudi nos in die qua invocaverimus te" (Lord save the king and hear us in the day when we shall call you).

Curiously, the King James Version is quite different: "Save, LORD: let the
king hear us when we call." However, in the Anglican liturgy, the following
responsory is used at Matins and at Evensong after the creed and the second
Paternoster and before the collects:
Priest. O Lord, save the Queen.
Answer. And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.

This was customarily sung on Sunday at Matins in Old Regime France. There
was a Gregorian plainchant for that psalm, so it's hard to call it a
"royal anthem", a concept which is anachronistic anyway. Many French
composers wrote motets for those verses, and there are several settings
by Lully for example. The French almanach "Quid" claims that a version
of this responsory composed in the late 17th c. for Mme de Maintenon later
became God Save the King, but this may be the French mania to claim to have
invented everything before the English.

Under Napoleon the responsory was changed to "Domine fac salvum imperatorem",
and then back to "regem" in 1814, then in 1830 to "regem Philippum" (lest the
Lord be confused about which king to save), then to "rem publicam" in 1848,
and back to "imperatorem" in 1852. It's like changing names of streets.
Charles Gounod composed a splendid march to the words for Napoleon III,
which Harvard still uses, I am told, in its graduation exercises, but
with "praesem nostrum" substituted, when the University president arrives.

Under the Restoration a couple tunes from light operas were used by obsequious
theater managers to elicit royalist fervor in the public (the air
"Ah! qu'il est bon d'etre en famille" from the light opera La Chasse
d'Henri IV) but this never reached the status of an official anthem.

Under the French Bourbon monarchy, the feast days with the most dynastic
significance were the Assumption (because of Louis XIII's dedication to the
Virgin in the 1630s) and the feast day of Saint Louis IX on August 25.
By decree of 19 Feb 1806, Napoleon I established two holidays:
the feast day of Saint Napoleon on August 15 (coincidentally, the
Assumption) which happened to be his birthday as well as the date of signing
of the Concordate of 1802, and the anniversary of the coronation as well
as the battle of Austerlitz on 2 December. On both occasions, speeches
were to be made by priests and Te Deums sung, in the presence of civil
and military authorities. Processions were also required on August 15.
The date of 2 December is still important for some institutions linked
to Napoleon: in particular, in the French Army Academy (Saint-Cyr)
where it is called "2S" (each month of the school year being named after
a letter in the name of the battle).